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Gardening Tips and Tricks |
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I like to talk to gardeners that have been gardening for many years and hear their tricks for great gardens….and over the years I have found a few favorite things to make my gardening easier. One of my favourite is the Natures Gold line of gardening products. I particularly love the gardening mulch, and like to put one or two inches of it on my flowerbeds in the spring after I have cleaned the beds up. The products dark color is very attractive on the garden, but what sold me is how it slowly fertilizes the soil while it helps to keep in precious moisture. Chemical fertilizers are fine, but when you use an organic fertilizer in the garden it enriches the soil, giving long-term nourishment to your plants. Your plants use the chemical all at once; causing a growth spurt, and then the plant uses up the nourishment in the soil, and if your soil isn't rich, is left without the necessary nutrients to thrive. This is what causes chlorosis and many other plant problems. Also, the ph of your soil is not as important as the fact that without the right balance plants cannot use the nutrients that are already in the soil.
Many acid loving plants don't do as well here or like Lupines; they are prone to insects or possibly disease. A simple application of garden sulfur will help to change the soil to a more acidic ph and or using peat moss in the garden around the acid loving plants. This will also help retain the moisture that they require, while making your plants healthier and less prone to insects and disease.
I still use chemical fertilizers for the extra nutrients they contain, and when I grow the new Proven Winners plants that are on the market, like the supertunias I like to add some chelated iron to the water or soil once in a while. They are such heavy feeders that the deplete the nutrients they need, then the foliage goes yellowy or the plants just sit there, instead of blooming profusely like they are supposed to. I add some organic fertilizer to my potting soil or use the Natures Gold potting soil that has more fertilizer added, sometimes adding in a bit more peat or other potting mix to lighten their soil a little. Then with my hanging baskets and tubs, I fertilize at least once a week with a fertilizer that has the trace element; miracle grow is great, and I use the fertilizer half strength so that I can use it more frequently. The plants that are heavy feeders work better with this method as they always get enough nutrients and don't have slumps in between fertilizing. I also find it's easier to remember, and if I am unsure an extra feeding is better that forgetting.
Another one of my favorite products is root booster. I buy a bottle every spring and use it when planting my pots, tubs and garden. It's a liquid fertilizer with a rooting hormone that helps prevent transplant shock. I find my plants take off faster, especially if the weather is hot, as it gives them an edge. When I transplant perennials in the garden I particularly like to use it. They can be a costly investment and a little insurance just makes sense to me. You mix it with water and I find one bottle will usually last me the season. I even use it when transplanting my houseplants.
Lindi Karmason for Lake Country Greenhouses 2005-06 |
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